The Nautilus

by Collin Kubacakon March 29, 2016

The Nautilus pendant is made from a pyritized ammonite (which is a cephalopod mollusk, sometimes referred to today as a nautilus). This piece is similar to the Ammonite Cast we have available but is the opposite fossil. Instead of being the cast, this piece is the mold, or the positive (representation of the actual animal). This piece was made from a mold that was created using the original fossil!

Typically, these fossils occur in relatively soft oceanic rock, however, this one has been pryritized! This means the material that originally made up the fossil was replaced by the mineral pyrite (fools gold) making it very hard and suitable for mold making.

This particular fossil originated in an outcrop located in Germany dating to the Jurassic period. This period occurred during the Mesozoic and is estimated to have occurred between 199.6 to 145.5 million years ago. These ammonites were known to grow over three feet in diameter. We hope you enjoy this piece just as much as we do!